Northern Renaissance Robert Campin 1375 1444 Merode Triptych

Northern Renaissance

Robert Campin (1375 -1444), Merode Triptych, completed in 1427, Tournai, France, Height: 64. 5 cm (2. 1 ft); Width: 117. 8 cm (1. 2 yds) Art similar to illuminated miniatures, or picture pages in prayer books. It is like a window into a new magical world with a perspective altered to allow the viewer to see more detail and make out more objects often carrying a symbolic meaning. For example, the candle, lily, open prayer book, mouse traps etc. all have coded meanings.

Jan van Eyck 1390 to 1441 Jan van Eyck, Giovanni Arnolfini and Bride, 1434, 33 x 22. 5 inches Jan van Eyck, Crucifixion and Last Judgement diptych, c. 1430– 40. Oil on canvas, transferred from wood. Each 56. 5 cm × 19. 7 cm (22. 25 in × 7. 75 in); Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Ghent Altarpiece, comleted In 1432, Jan and Hubert van Eyck, . This detail and realism sent shock waves throughout Europe and this was believed to be the greatest masterpiece of all time.

Rogier Van der Weyden: 1400 -1464 Descent from the Cross, 2. 2 m x 2. 6 m, 1435 Art work, while Continuing the trend started by Van Eyck, brought an emotive power into paintings. There is sorrow etched into the faces of all and The hand of Mary and Jesus are placed to almost touch adding to the pathos of the Scene.

Hugo van der Goes c 1440 to 1482, Hugo van der Goes incorporated incredible realism in his artworks, but often also has negative aspects such as the ugliness of the shepherds, the isolation of the figures in the Portinari Triptych, plus The odd sizing of figures in relation to others.

Hieronymus Bosch, 1450 to 1516, Below, Garden of Earthly Delights. 1496 to 1505

The Hay wain, c 1516

The last Judgement C 1492

Death of a Miser Ship of Fools Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things

Albrecht Dürer Self-Portrait, 1498 1471 -1528 Self-Portrait 1500 Feast of the Rosary, 1506

The four horsemen of the Apocalypse 1498, wood cut Praying hands, 1508 engraving Melencolia l, 1514, engraving

Young hare, 1502, watercolor Knight, Death and the Devil, 1513, engraving, 24. 5 x 19. 1 cm; Large piece of turf 1503

Pieter Bruegel 1530 -1569 Pieter Bruegel was a post Reformation artist who was a stylistic follower of Bosch, with “Where is Waldo” type paintings. The themes tended to be negative and Bruegel produced “genre” or everyday life paintings. This subject had pre-existed in Illuminated pages but Bruegel’s Paintings tended to brutal in its portrayals and the former tended to be lyrical. Fall of the Rebel Angels, 1562

Wedding Dance, 1566 Hunters in the Snow, 1565 The Peasant Wedding, 1566– 69

Netherlandish Proverbs 1559 To marry under the broomstick. (shack up) To crap on the world To fry the whole herring for the sake of the roe Bang your Head against The wall To be a pillar Biter (religious Hypocrite) To see bears Dancing (to be starving) To hold an eel by the tail (attempt a difficult task) To be barely able to reach from one loaf to another (live paycheck to paycheck)

Northern Renaissance vs Italian Renaissance -Hyper-realistic details, -Retains more primitive perspective, -optical illusion that 3 d depth has been distorted -Strong symbolism, difficult interpretation -Often air of pessimism -Strongly religious subject matter that morphs into moralistic genre paintings with time -More religious • Protestant reformers would have been better people with a little less fear of hell. • Society more religious • St. Thomas More writes Utopia, based on Plato’s republic, arguing for religious tolerlance and socialistic ideas, no distinction in dress for various classes, more equal distribution of wealth etc. - High level of detail, - more accurate perspective, - Optical illusion of 3 d depth - Symbolism less important - Often sunny outlook. -Both mythological and religious subjects but all figures resemble Greek gods -more secular or pagan • Renaissance pope would have been better people with a little more fear of hell. • Society more secular • Machiavelli writes The Prince, “It is better to be feared than loved”, “the end justifies the means”, based on Roman Statesmanship.

Northern Renaissance, Jan van Eyck, c 1435 The Madonna and Chancellor Rolin, incredible detail in fabric, tiles, textures, perspective is compressed to reveal more close-up details, Italian Renaissance, Raphael, Disputation of the Holy Sacrament 1509 -1510 Optical illusion of heavenly throne floating on a cloud.

Northern Renaissance, Hieronymus Bosch, The Temptation of Saint Anthony, 1501 Where is Waldo layout, many bizarre symbolic Elements, includes a hellscape, moralistic and pessimistic outlook Italian Renaissance, Andrea Mantegna, Parnassus 1497, perspective accurate, mythological subject Details present but somewhat sparse,